This is a warning…

A warning sign:

Letting you know that a stop sign is ahead (26 paces ahead at this particular location):

How necessary are these signs? They’re nice too, pretty DELUXE for the biking community. Maybe too nice. Solar powered at that. But what on Earth do you need a stop sign to have electricity for? To have it illuminated with flashing LEDs of course. I’m no electrical engineer or solar energy scientist, but seeing all the tree branches and such above the panels might inhibit some energy transfer. (I could be wrong on that point, I’m not sure—seems counter-intuitive at least, especially in cloudy Seattle.)

I’ve heard there are many of these cropping up on the Burke-Gilman trail here in Seattle. They have the look and feel of being expensive.

These people look like they feel much safer, don’t they?

I hope they weren’t so expensive that any other improvements or extensions to the trail aren’t being sidelined. I admittedly don’t ride the trail very often—it just doesn’t go where I need to go—but I do believe that some other improvements could happen that might allow cyclists to enjoy the trail more (read: extensions into Ballard, smoothing tree routes up north, eliminating private driveway stop signs, etc.) rather than adding more impediments to their travel.

Am I looking a gift horse in the mouth? Or is this some placating bone to silence Seattle’s cyclists? As in, “Look how much money we’ve thrown into ‘improving’ the Burke!”

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Apparently these signs were put in unilaterally by the UWPD for some reason which only makes sense to the twisted minds of the university police. Supposedly, it’s to increase safety because cars don’t have to stop, but bikes do.

There was a thread on the point83 about it, but I don’t have a link handy.

Evidently, I’ve heard that the solar panels can deliver electricity just fine off of reflected UV light solely. So perhaps the solar aspect is not a wholly ridiculous idea, still likely expensive and for an unnecessary action.

Well these are limited to the UW portion of the Burke. Folks these days don’t seem to notice anything unless it lights up. Nor do they understand that the car speeding down Brooklyn will not see them and may in fact crush them as they mindlessly roll into traffic.

I purpose the UW begin a mandatory course for freshmen, maybe titled “Don’t be an idiot”.

And by the way, solar panels have came a long way in the last 10 years, smaller and more efficient.